Achievements
A number of NMU faculty and staff members were honored at this week's Employee Recognition Luncheon for achieving years-of-service milestones with the university. Click here for the complete list.
Tawni Ferrarini (Economics) has been named the new Fraser Institute senior fellow. She is a regular contributor to Fraser Institute teacher workshops and student seminars, focusing on the use of technology in the classroom and the integration of economics across subjects and settings. Ferrarini visits Japan annually to help grow the country's Council for Economic Education. For this and other work, the U.S. Council for Economic Education honored her with the 2012 Albert Beekhuis Center Award.
"Professor Ferrarini is inspiring young minds with her efforts to bring better economics education to classrooms around the world," said Jason Clemens, Fraser Institute executive vice-president. "The Fraser Institute shares her mission for finding innovative ways to teach economics. We're excited for the contributions she will make to our education programs as a senior fellow."
Ferrarini was the inaugural recipient of the 2009 National Association of Economic Educator's Abbejean Kehler Technology Award and a 2009 recipient of an NMU Distinguished Faculty Award. She is a co-author of Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity and her work regularly appears in academic journals as well as the popular press.
Sten Fjeldheim (Athletics, far right) collected both the men's and women's coach of the year awards and juniors Rosie Frankowski and Erik Soderman earned regional skier of the year honors as the NMU Nordic ski teams swept the postseason awards.
"It feels awesome," Fjeldheim said. "I have a lot of respect for all the other coaches, so it's quite an honor. I'm really happy for both Erik and Rosie as well. They worked hard all season and really deserve it."
Frankowski earned the region's best finish on the women's side at this year's NCAA Championships, collecting her first All-American honor with a seventh-place finish in the 15K skate. Initially a walk-on to the heralded NMU ski team, Frankowski finished the year as the region's top female skier, an all-CCSA first-teamer, and earned the conference's top skier in four events this season, including both the freestyle and classic events at U.S. Nationals.
Soderman collected his second and third career All-American awards at this year's NCAA Championships, earning a first-team spot with his fourth place finish in the freestyle event and a second-team spot with a 10th place finish in the classic race. Also an all-CCSA first-team member and the top scoring skier in the region this season, Soderman won six CCSA races, including sweeping both events at the CCSA Championships in February.
Fjeldheim oversaw another hugely successful season at NMU, adding four All-American awards, both the men's and women's CCSA Championships and the men's and the overall NCAA Central Region Championships to the school's already impressive trophy cabinet. Under his guidance, four of the region's top 10 skiers on both the men's and women's side wore the Wildcats' green and gold.
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